Toronto Office Sector On Track to Meet 10% Energy Reduction Goal

2(ND) ANNUAL AWARDS RECOGNIZE LEADERS IN ENERGY REDUCTION, LANDLORD-TENANT
COLLABORATION AS PART OF CIVICACTION 10(TH) ANNIVERSARY
TORONTO, Nov. 29, 2012 /CNW/ - Outstanding energy reduction efforts and
achievements by the Toronto region's commercial real estate sector were
announced at CivicAction's second annual Race to Reduce Awards event last
night. Winners' energy reduction efforts contributed to a collective 2.0%*
per cent energy reduction by participants in the first year of the four-year
Race to Reduce smart energy office challenge.
The 2012 Race to Reduce awards took place as part of the Toronto Real Estate
Forum. The event is one of several during the week-long celebration of
CivicAction's ten years of driving conversation and creating collaborative
solutions that shape our communities, strengthen our environment, and bolster
our economy.
Other award highlights include:
-- Building performance: Brookfield Office Properties and Crown
Property Management led the way in Lowest Overall Energy Use,
and Crown Property Management and the City of Toronto captured
the Greatest Energy Reduction year-over-year awards.
-- Action and innovation: Royal Bank of Canada and Cadillac
Fairview Corporation demonstrated the magic of landlord-tenant
collaboration at 155 Wellington with LEED Gold certifications.
Rogers Communications excelled in the landlord category for the
results at its Brampton Campus, and TD Bank Group shone in the
tenant category for its employee-engagement initiatives.
Launched in May 2011, CivicAction's Race to Reduce challenges Toronto region
landlords and tenants in office buildings of all types, sizes and ages to
publicly commit to work together to reduce energy use in their buildings and
to reduce the total energy use in participating office buildings by at least
10 per cent over four years. The aim is to improve air quality in the Toronto
region and achieve sustained carbon emission reductions in the office building
sector, which now contributes close to 20% of the region's carbon emissions,
according to the Living City Report Card. With over 600 landlords and tenants
now participating in the Race to Reduce, 61 were recognized and celebrated at
the annual awards that attracted leaders from the region's commercial real
estate community. These participants occupy over 63.3 million square feet of
office space - about 31 per cent of the total office space across the Toronto
region.
"Last night put a spotlight on some of the incredible efforts and results that
our participants are making in their quest to reduce energy and change the way
they operate and behave in their buildings," said Brad Henderson, Senior
Managing Director at CBRE Limited and voluntary Co-Chair of the Commercial
Building Energy Leadership Council.
Steve Smith, real estate executive and fellow Co-Chair of the Commercial
Building Energy Leadership Council and member of CivicAction's Greening
Greater Toronto Task Force, adds, "With a 2.0 per cent reduction in the first
year of the Race we're on track to achieving the 2014 target. The potential is
immense - a collective 10 per cent reduction over four years equals 37,000
tonnes of carbon emissions saved, or nearly 27,000 cars off the road.
Participants will enjoy a collective savings of over $25.6 million in energy
costs over four years, and $12.8 million annually in perpetuity."
*Based on 2010-2011 Total Site Energy Use (kBtu)
For more information about the Race to Reduce and a full list of award
winners, see below and visit www.racetoreduce.ca.
2012 Race to Reduce Award Winners
Congratulations to all Race to Reduce participants and to winners in the
following categories:
Building Performance - Lowest Energy Use
Awards were presented based on building performance data submitted to Energy
Star's Portfolio Manager, and their resulting Energy Star performance ratings.
Winners:
Under 300,000ft(2):
-- 105 Adelaide Street West, Brookfield Office Properties (Energy
Star performance rating of 92); tied with
-- 2001 Sheppard Avenue East, Crown Property Management (Energy
Star performance rating of 92)
Over 300,000 ft(2):
-- The Exchange Tower, Brookfield Office Properties (Energy Star
performance rating of 93)
These winners achieved impressive results. An Energy Star performance rating
of 92 indicates that the building is among the top 8% of similar buildings
across North America, while a rating of 93 indicates that the building is
among the top 7% of similar buildings across North America.
Building Performance - Greatest Energy Reduction (2010 - 2011)
Under 300,000 ft(2):
-- 415 Yonge Street, Crown Property Management (9% reduction in
site energy intensity)
Over 300,000 ft(2):
-- Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street (18% reduction in site
energy intensity)
Action & Innovation
Awards recognize participants who have demonstrated leadership and superior
commitment to energy reduction or efficiency through their actions and/or
innovative excellence.
Winners:
Building team: Royal Bank of Canada and Cadillac Fairview Corporation (155
Wellington)
This winning team truly demonstrated a strong landlord-tenant relationship in
achieving LEED Gold designations for both the construction and interior
fit-out aspect of their building. In doing so, they followed through on
their corporate commitments, raised the level of sustainability dialogue with
occupants, and achieve an overall energy intensity of 254 ekWh/m(2)
(equivalent kilowatt hours per square metre).
Landlord: Rogers Communications (Brampton Campus at 8200 Dixie Road)
In 2011, Rogers undertook four key energy initiatives, including a lighting
retrofit of 1,549 fixtures, research and design of high efficiency gas-fired
rooftop units, a roof replacement project, and a smart satellite-based
irrigation system. In addition to driving significant energy savings (the
lighting retrofit achieved a 60% reduction), this landlord maximized their
efforts by communicating best practices through their Energy & Carbon
Reduction Committee.
Tenant: TD Bank Group
This tenant took on a large task by bringing its sustainability program to the
employee level by setting a GHG reduction goal of 1 tonne per employee by
2015. They demonstrated quantifiable results (early results show an average of
12% monthly electricity savings) and created a positive change that has real
potential to influence other large tenants.
Landlord-Tenant Engagement
Fifty three buildings earned engagement awards. This award recognizes the top
30% of buildings with the most tenant space participating in the Race (as
measured by Gross Leasable Area), in six building size categories.
A full list of award recipients can be found at www.racetoreduce.ca.
This project is funded in part through the Conservation Fund of the Ontario
Power Authority. CivicAction would like to acknowledge the support of 2012
Race to Reduce Awards Gold Sponsors CBRE Limited and BOMA Toronto.
CivicAction is also grateful for the support provided to the Race to Reduce by
program sponsors BLJC, Cushman & Wakefield, Enbridge Gas Distribution, Green
Business Standards, Toronto Hydro, and Union Gas, and media and communication
partners Canadian Property Management, Building Strategies and Sustainability,
and NATIONAL Public Relations.
About CivicAction
For the past 10 years, the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance (CivicAction)
has brought together senior executives and rising leaders from all sectors to
tackle some of our region's toughest social, economic and environmental
challenges. CivicAction sets a non-partisan agenda, builds strategic
partnerships, and launches campaigns, programs and organizations that
transform our region. CivicAction is led by a Board of Directors and a
75-leader Steering Committee. For 2012-2013, CivicAction has three areas of
focus: accelerating regional transportation; enhancing the region's economic
performance; and fostering inclusion and resilience. For more information
visit: www.civicaction.ca, @CivicActionGTA
About Greening Greater Toronto
Greening Greater Toronto (www.greeninggreatertoronto.ca) is an initiative of
the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance. More than 200 partners from
corporations, government, and the non-profit sector have joined Greening
Greater Toronto and support the vision of a flourishing region renowned for
its environmental action and innovation.
For more information, including to interview Brad Henderson or Mitzie Hunter,
please contact:
Meaghan Moroz 416-848-1450 mmoroz@national.ca
Image with caption: "The 2012 Race to Reduce awards recognized over 60 winners
in three categories: Landlord-tenant engagement, Action & Innovation, and
Building energy performance. Winners' energy reduction efforts contributed to
a collective 2.0% energy reduction by participants in the first year of the
four-year Race to Reduce smart energy office challenge. (CNW
Group/CivicAction)". Image available at:
http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20121129_C4720_PHOTO_EN_21356.jpg
SOURCE: CivicAction
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CO: CivicAction
ST: Ontario
-0- Nov/29/2012 15:34 GMT